The Henderson City Council held a public hearing on the fiscal 2010 budget during its regular monthly meeting yesterday evening.
Before the public hearing was opening, Henderson resident Tom Hannon commented on jointly funded projects during the public comments portion of the council meeting.
Hannon told members that residents of the city have been paying up to three times more for the same services as those received outside of the city.
The former Rose’s executive told the council that he is not “anti-library”. He said that he proposed that the city-county contribution to the library be increased to $900,000, and that he would demonstrate how it could be funded.
He asked council members to take [jointly funded projects] money out of the budget and sit down with the county. Noting that the contracts can be amended, he said it would require [the county] to sit and talk with [the city]. He said that it would not drive a wedge between the city and county, but rather make the city work with [the county].
Hannon asked members to set aside a night and to have his proposed be part of that night’s discussion.
In welcoming participants, Henderson Mayor Pete O’Geary remarked that that the current economic times are “unprecedented”, and that the current recession has had a serious impact.
O’Geary characterized the city budget as “no-frills” without an increase in property tax.
The mayor told the near-capacity audience that the city has been in recession since 2005 when it lost its industrial base. He characterized the budget as an “attempt to balance the needs of the city with the realities of the current economy”.
Nancy Ormond was the first to speak regarding the budget. She criticized the council for eliminating its contract with Community Workforce Solutions for the maintenance of downtown Henderson.
The contract cut $20,000 from the city’s bottom line.
Informing the council that Community Workforce Solutions largest contract is with the city, she said that the organization could lose workers.
Ormond challenged the notion that it would be cheaper for the city to do the maintenance itself. She claimed that labor costs to the city would be $71,000 a year to perform the same work.
Vocational Services Direction Sandra Waverly also objected to the discontinuation of the Community Workforce Solutions Contract. She said that her organization had been doing the work since 1991 and said that “they are the face of our community”. She said that she did not feel that the displaced workers would be absorbed into the workforce.
Henderson resident and local government watchdog Lewis Edwards stated his opposition to the budget because the city’s revenue is derived from two enterprise funds that he claims are in violation of North Carolina statutes, those being the sanitation fund and the water fund. He did not elaborate on why he considers those funds to be in violation of state law. Edwards criticized the city’s failure to fund the Police Department and the Fire Department as well as the decision to continue to fund the position of Special Projects Manager and participation in the Economic Development Commission.
Lewis also spoke against the cutting of the contract with Community Workforce Solutions, calling it “unacceptable”.
The Rev. Frank Sossamon, pastor of the South Henderson Pentacostal Holiness Church, expressed a concern about fire protection.
Former Henderson fire fighter Bill Lloyd told council members an anecdote about a fire he witnessed where the rescue truck never arrived.
According to Lloyd, the fire truck carries important equipment, including a device that fills tanks with breathable air.
Lloyd said he was told that there were no personnel to bring the rescue truck. He said that he was told that if the truck were needed, an off-duty firefighter would have to be called in to go to the fire station and bring the truck to the scene.
“Are we being good stewards of what we have to deal with?” Lloyd asked.
Lloyd’s statements were met with enthusiastic applause from the seventeen Henderson city fire fighters who were in attendance for the budget hearing.
Former Henderson Mayor Chick Young rebutted remarks made earlier by Hannon and told council members that he was proud of the joint programs with Vance County. He said that he had worked hard to make sure that they were fair. He said that citizens appreciate and need the programs.
Young followed his remarks on joint programs by speaking to the council’s decision to cancel the Community Workforce Solutions contract. He said that during his tenure as mayor that the city was never successful in maintaining the downtown until the contract with Community Workforce Solutions was entered into. He told members that they “do a good job for a low cost”.
Henderson Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson asked the council to unfreeze the firefighter position that is currently vacant and unfunded in the proposed budget. Telling members that he is “trying to maintain what we’ve got”, he said he would continue to ask for needed personnel as long as he is chief.
Wilkerson said that he wants to help to lower the fire rate, but that he is struggling to staff his department and comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard of a minimum of “two in, two out” during a fire.
“We fall short quite often,” Wilkerson said.
Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) resident Timmy Baynes asked the council to look at the water and sewer rates for non-residents receiving those city services in the next (fiscal 2011) budget. He claimed that those residing in the ETJ are being “penalized”. He asked for documentation of costs of providing water outside of the city. He claimed that in many cases, water and sewer infrastructure had been gifted to the city by developers or grants.
In last year’s budget, the outside water and sewer rate was reduced from 250% of the inside rate to 240%. At the time, the plan had been to gradually reduce the rate further over a number of years.
Immediately after O’Geary closed the public hearing, member Mike Inscoe moved that the council address the public’s concerns in an additional budget work session on Tuesday evening.
The session was scheduled in advance should it be needed.
The council unanimously approved Inscoe’s motion. They will reconvene tonight at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall at 134 Rose Avenue in Henderson to re-examine the budget.